Ice, Fire & Peaches
by randomness1868
Summary: An arranged marriage... a happy bride, an unhappy groom, and a girl with a broken heart. Kurosaki Karin, Hitsugaya Toushiro, and Hinamori Momo. Ice, fire and peaches.
1. An Arranged Marriage

**Okay, so this is the product of seeing a picture of Toushiro in a tux and listening to "Taiyou no Namida" by NEWS. Enjoy! **

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Prologue:

"Hitsugaya-taichou,"

"Hai," Hitsugaya Toushiro stepped slightly out of the line of taichous as General Yamamoto called his name.

"For years, Kurosaki Ichigo has served the Seritei well," The general paused.

Other than a few incidents, Toushiro thought in the short silence that followed.

"I believe you've met Kurosaki Karin… his sister?"

"Yes." Why was he asking about Karin? Toushiro wondered. It was true that they had met during the short time that he had visited the world of the living, and they had kicked off a sort of loose friendship…

"The Seritei proposed a… arranged marriage to Kurosaki's sister," The general continued.

Being the child-prodigy he was, Hitsugaya Toushiro suddenly found that he did not like where this conversation was heading.

"Therefore, Hitsugaya-taichou, you are to be married to Kurosaki Karin before the year is up."

Toushiro stared in shock at the general. Yes, he had known it was coming, but as Yamamoto spoke those dreaded words, he still found himself in shock.

Murmurs circled the room and in the part of his mind that wasn't drenched in shock, the part that said "I told you," registered that the 12 other taichous in the room minus Ukitake and Kyoraku, were just as shocked. Apparently, Yamamoto had told no one but his two students of his plans.

"If I may ask," It was Ukitake who first stepped away from the line of taichous to speak. "Is it necessary?" He glanced at Toushiro and the shocked boy saw pity in his eyes.

"Yes, it is." And Yamamoto's voice was ice as he spoke.

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**Yeah. Sorry. It's short. My bad.**


	2. Congratulations

"Taichou!"

There was no answer, and Matsumoto thought for a second that she hadn't heard her taichou come through the door to the 10th division. But then came the familiar soft footsteps and the swish of a taichou's robes, and even the familiar reiatsu, icy cold. The only thing missing was the usual lecture about how yelling when somebody walks in the door is a serious no-no. And yes, she was drunk… again (or at least pretending to be). But even a drunk Matsumoto knew when something was wrong and wasn't caused by her.

"Taichou?"

Hitsugaya Toushiro stood there in the door. "What do you want Matsumoto?" He said it quietly and it was as if he wasn't really paying attention, just going through the words. It seemed, to Matsumoto that he wasn't even fully there.

"What's wrong? Did something bad happen at the meeting?"

"Nothing's wrong. Wait…" He stopped and frowned as if he was trying to remember something. "Weren't you supposed to be at the fuku-taichou meeting?"

"Uh, well, you see…" Matsumoto fumbled for an answer that didn't involve "I decided to play hooky today!"

"If you went, you would know that I'm getting married."

"What?" Matsumoto's jaw dropped. "You're- to whom?" A grin lit up her face and she grinned, forgetting that she was drunk (but most definitely pretending to be). "Did Momo-chan propose?"

"No!" And he was almost back to his usual self… almost. "No, to Kurosaki Karin." Toushiro brushed past his fuku-taichou and sat down at his desk.

Immediately, the grin died away as Matsumoto realized just what her taichou was facing. Life… marriage… with a girl he'd only met once. Without a girl she knew he'd loved forever. And, Matsumoto thought, he doesn't even realize it.

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Hinamori Momo was on her way to the 10th division when she ran into a solid wall of shinigami crowded around the door to the 10th division taichou's office. Being the 5th division fuku-taichou, the shinigami, on seeing her, allowed her through to the front.

Wondering just why they were there, she stepped through the doors and was nearly run over by Matsumoto scooting a bunch of shinigami out the door.

"Out!" Momo had never seen the strawberry-blonde so flustered. "Out!" She yelled again, this time at the tiny girl in front of her.

"But, Matsumoto-kun…" Momo stammered and that got the other woman's attention.

"Oh, Momo-chan!" Matsumoto looked apologetically at the girl in front of her. "I'm sorry. Are you here to tell taichou congrats too?"

"Congratulations for what?" Momo was beginning to regret that she had missed the fuku-taichou's meeting.

"You don't know?" Matsumoto was again that day surprised.

"No, I missed the fuku-taichou meeting. There was too much paperwork to do." The girl smiled up at Matsumoto. "I just came to say hello on my break, but if there's something to congratulate Shiro-chan, I mean, Hitsugaya-taichou on, I guess I should."

"Uh…" Matsumoto glanced back inside. Her taichou was still in a strange mood… "I guess it would be alright."

Momo walked past Matsumoto into the building, Matsumoto shutting the doors behind them.

"Shiro- I mean, Hitsugaya-taichou!" Momo called cheerfully and upon reaching his desk, she smiled at the white haired boy. "I'm on break now, so I thought I'd say hi. Oh and congratulations!"

Toushiro looked at her and she saw with a start that his eyes were dead. Melting ice, she thought. "So you heard." Even his voice wasn't the same.

"Um, yeah!" She lied.

"Bed-wetter," Even the way he said her hated nickname was different. "You're invited."

"Invited?" She asked.

"Un, to my wedding."

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**Short again. Sorry, but I'm not having a very good writing day today.**


	3. Karin

**So here I am again. Yah. You don't gotta read this, but I thought I'd spread the word. Ever heard of NaNoWriMo? National Novel Writing Month? Anywayz, November is NNWM and starting November 1****st****, me and other writers will be sitting on the computer writing novels and trying to pass 50,000 words. Thought I'd tell you guyz so anybody interested can try it out (this is actually my first time!). And also to let you guyz know why I won't be on Fanfic during November. If you're interested, just type in NaNoWriMo on Google or whateverz. They also got another one 4 lazy people who don't wanna write 50,000 words.**

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16 year old Kurosaki Karin pretty much expected what happened next. She expected the "Congratulations Karin!" from her sister as she walked in the door, and the crying father that tried to hug her while crying "My little girl is all grown up!" and "Yes, Daddy will walk you down the aisle!" She even gave him a kick in the head just because it was expected, and if she didn't, he would just keep going on and on and on…

She had just come from a soccer game, and ironically, it had been there that the proposal had been delivered to her. Ichigo in his shinigami attire had soon after appeared and yelled "Hell no!" just as she had been about to give her answer.

The head general Yamamoto had frowned and said that it was Karin's choice and that it would be a good choice if she said yes.

Her brother had then shouted, "And just how is _that_ a good choice?" loud enough that everyone else at the game that were even just a little aware of spiritual pressure, looked up.

Karin had ignored him and told the general "Yes, I accept."

Ichigo had looked at her then.

"Look," she had told him and then proceeded with the fact that yes, ever since she met Toushiro Hitsugaya she had grown to like him, and yes, she was aware of what marriage was but she liked him enough that she would want to anyway. It had been a secret she had never told anyone. Not even Yuzu.

Ichigo had reluctantly stepped aside then and the general had nodded and went back to… well wherever he came from.

And the night only got better and better. Her team soared above the other, scoring points left and right. It was no surprise that they were almost always scored by Karin. And if anyone had asked, she would have told them, "I'm celebrating." She walked home after the game, in a haze of happiness, only thinking as she opened the door to her house just what she should expect on the other side of the door. And she had been right. Ichigo _had_ told. And now that the "Congratulations!" and the "Daddy will walk you down the aisle!" died down, she could see that Ichigo was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Ichigo?" She asked.

"He told us and then left." Yuzu said over the happy mumblings of their father to his poster of their mother. "Are you really getting married to a shinigami?"

"Yeah"

"Is he the one who helped you with your soccer?"

Karin was surprised. She didn't know that she had even told Karin about Toushiro.

"He is, isn't he?" Yuzu smiled. "You just blushed."

"I did? No I didn't!" Karin exclaimed hotly.

Yuzu giggled. "You did!"

"I did not!"

"Oy! Karin!" Both sisters turned as Ichigo appeared in the doorway.

"Nii-san?"

"There's a request from the Sereitei." He tossed her his phone and she quickly read the message.

"What does it say Karin?" Yuzu peered over Karin's shoulder as Karin replied, "They want me to come and discuss the marriage with them." To everyone's surprise, she blushed. "What?" She looked at Yuzu. "Oh crap. I did it again didn't I?"

Yuzu nodded and Karin tossed Ichigo's phone back to him a little harder than necessary. She mumbled something about soccer and sleeping and then sped-walked up the stairs. Not a second later, the entire family could hear the door to Yuzu and Karin's room slam shut.

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"I'm worried Masaki." Cigarette smoke filled the dark room and wafted around the poster of Kurosaki Masaki.

"She's, no both of the twins are only 16 and Ichigo hardly seems to age. Must be the Shinigami genes."

The woman in the poster smiled sadly back at her husband.

"Marriage? I wonder what the Sereitei really wants." A pause and then, "But Karin seems to really want it. She thinks I can't tell. And I can't refuse her. If she really loves this Toushiro Hitsugaya… well, I guess it's just that this whole thing seems a little strange to me. I think Ichigo has his suspicions as well." A chair scraped the floor and suddenly the orange glow of the cigarette disappeared into an ashtray. "Well Masaki, I guess we'll just see what happens next."

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**Sooo. I guess it's kind of rushed when you read it. Sorry. Lol. It was actually a lot harder than my other chapters honestly (and I worked on this one the most). It was really hard to get Karin's character just right (and yet I needed her to accept the proposal and be excited about it! Argh!). Soooo yah. My bad if it's sucky-ish.**


	4. Interrupted Confessions

Every time he heard the words "Congratulations," Hitsugaya Toushiro retreated further into himself. But suddenly, he found himself jerked out of his mind as the sound of tears falling and slight sniffles hit his ears. Startled, he looked straight ahead at the slight girl before him. Momo… what is Momo doing here? He wondered, and then: Right, I was inviting her to… wait why is Bed-wetter crying?

"Are you…?" He began.

"Who is it? Who is it you're going to marry?" Momo suddenly interrupted. He saw Matsumoto move to comfort her and he realized that for a second he had stood to comfort her as well. Toushiro sat back down and then stood, his entire body aching to go and comfort her, to hold her and… He mentally shook his head, startled by his thoughts.

"No!" She cried, pushing Matsumoto's comforting hand away. "Toushiro, I want to know!" Toushiro could see quite clearly, the tears rolling down her face. He thought it best to answer.

"Kurosaki Karin, Kurosaki Ichigo's sister."

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Momo felt her heart cracking with each syllable.

"Ku-ro-sa-ki Ka-ri-n"

Time seemed to slow down and suddenly, she couldn't take it anymore. In a blink of an eye, faster than even Yoruichi, Momo was gone, fleeing, anywhere, as long as it was far away. But it seemed to her, that she was going slower still, that time was stopping altogether. And then:

"Momo… wait!"

Time sped up and she went even faster. Suddenly, somebody grabbed her hand and before Momo knew what was happening, she was tumbling through the air, falling onto hard ground, Toushiro a little ways away.

"Momo!" He ran toward her and before she could get away, he grabbed hold of her, concern in his icy blue eyes that were no longer melting.

"Let me go!" A tear slid down her face and he wiped it away.

"What's wrong?"

It was like they were young again. Like he was the little boy that she'd known before they became shinigami, only he was taller than her now, handsome, and… she looked away, trying to hide the pain she felt.

"It's nothing Toushiro." Her voice was dead as she spoke.

"Are you sure?" He looked at her with concern and she felt her heart begin to crack again.

"Yes, I'm sure. Let me go Toushiro."

"No you're not. Not once have you called me 'Shiro-chan'. What's wrong?" He had totally abandoned his taichou's talk now, speaking to her softly. If any shinigami had happened to pass by, they would have stared in shock at the young taichou.

Momo remained silent. She couldn't tell him. He wouldn't understand. And he was getting married! She couldn't, she wouldn't, and yet she found herself saying, "Toushiro… I…lo-"

"Hitsugaya-taichou! There you are!" Toushiro immediately let her go as Ukitake appeared from behind a building and Momo realized that she hadn't got that far away being that they were still in the Sereitei.

"Hai!" Toushiro seemed to harden before her eyes, turning back into the 10th squad taichou in a flash.

"General Yamamoto would like to see you." Ukitake paused and glanced at Momo before continuing, "The Kurosakis' are here… to... discuss wedding details."

Toushiro stiffened and when he spoke, his voice was low and… Momo noticed, sad. "I'll be there in a minute. Thank you Ukitake-taichou." Ukitake nodded and Toushiro nodded to Momo. "Excuse me Hinamori-san." Then turning, he shunpo'd away.

Momo turned her glance away from Toushiro who was getting farther and farther away. She hadn't gotten to say what she wanted to say and now it was even more so too late. "Excuse me Ukitake-taichou." Feeling tears again in her eyes, she bowed to the taichou, and shunpo'd back to her division.

Ukitake looked up as the two left him standing there somewhere in the Sereitei. He had seen Momo's expression and the way Toushiro had seemed to die when Karin's name came to mention and a great sense of regret came over him.

"I'm sorry." He whispered finally in the growing silence. "But it's for the best."


End file.
